Fired-up Firebirds steal win
Refusing to give up, they continued to press relentlessly even when trailing by three goals with less than nine minutes to play in the third period. And just like that, hard work and second effort paid off for the Flint Firebirds in a stunning 5-4 shootout victory over the Soo Greyhounds on Wednesday night.
Not only did the visiting Firebirds win their 21st match of the 2016-2017 Ontario Hockey League season — they won only 20 games and missed the playoffs in 2015-2016 — but the triumph over first-place Soo solidified Flint’s hold on the eighth-and-final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
With 46 points from a record of 21-18-4, Flint leads the ninth-place Saginaw Spirit by 9 points. And the Firebirds are just two points back of the seventh-place Sarnia Sting.
In their wild Wednesday jubilation over the pace-setting Greyhounds, the Firebirds scored three goals in just over four minutes to tie the game 4-4 to force overtime and — ultimately — the shootout.
The frantic Flint comeback began with a breakaway goal by Firebirds scoring leader Ryan Moore and carried on with tallies from Jake Durham and Nicholas Caamano. Caamano then scored the game winner in the shootout.
The season series between the two teams is now tied at two games apiece with neither team able to win at home. The teams meet again on Friday night in Flint.
Before the Flint comeback, the Firebirds had actually played better than the 4-1 deficit indicated. Perhaps aware of the fact that they were just not getting the bounces, the Firebirds continued to skate hard and force the play, an indication of both team resolve and coaching strategy of rookie bench boss Ryan Oulahen.
The loss for the Soo — which got a pair of goals from overage forward David Miller — dropped its record to 31-10-3 but still good for a league-best 65 points.